Base assembly for electric lamps



July 31, 1962 R. J. VICHILL BASE ASSEMBLY FOR ELECTRIC LAMPS Filed Aug. 20, 1959 lnven tor: Ralph d.VichiLL,

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United States Patent 3,047,765 BASE ASSEMBLY FOR ELECTRIC LAMPS Ralph J. Vichill, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed Aug. 20, 1959, Ser. No. 834,979 4 Claims. (Cl; 313-4118.)

My invention relates to electric lamps and more particularly to base assemblies for electric lamps.

It is an object of" my invention to provide a base assembly. having incorporated therein an ornamental metallic skirt of' decorative appearance and of novel, easily assembled'structure, particularly useful for decorative lamps for use in exposed sockets having no surrounding shades, the lamp bulb itself providing the effect of a fixture.

To that end, the base assembly comprises an orna mental metallic skirt, an insulating collar or washer and a conventional base, such as the standard screw base. These parts are assembled in the stated order onto the end of the lamp bulb, each part telescoping onto the preceding part. The ornamental skirt member surrounds a correspondingly shaped portion of the lamp bulb and abuts against a shoulder at the end thereof. The said skirt and collar members are firmly held in place between the said shoulder and the rim of the base which is secured to a neck portion at the end of the bulb, preferably by conventional cement. Thus the assembly is firmly held in place at each end and uniformity in overall length is obtained.

Further features and advantages of my invention will appear from the following description of species thereof and from the drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is .an elevation, partly in section, of a lamp and base assembly comprising my invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the base assembly; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary elevation, partly in section, of a lamp having a modified base assembly.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawing, the lamp comprises a glass bulb 1 of suitable decorative contour having a main conical portion 2, a reverse frusto-conical end portion 3 and a slightly rounded top 4. The interior surface of the bulb may be frosted and the outside coated with a suitable colored enamel except at the top 4 and at several stripes 5 around the end portion 3. The bulb contains a conventional mount structure comprising a re-entrant glass stern tube 6 sealed to one end of the bulb and having a pair of lead-in wires 7 extending through the stem 6 to a tungsten filament 8.

The end of the bulb is shaped to provide a cylindrical neck portion 9 which flares outwardly to an adjoining enlarged generally cylindrical, preferably conical, portion 10 which terminates, at its junction with the main portion 2 of the bulb, in an annular portion defining an external shoulder 11.

The base assembly comprises an ornamental metallic skirt 12, which may be of anodized aluminum, a collar or washer member 13 of insulating material, preferably of organic plastic material, and a base 14 for engagement with a socket. The base 14 may be a conventional screw or bayonet type base, and is here illustrated as a standard screw type base comprising a threaded metal shell 15 carrying at its end an insulating web 16 of glass or organic plastic to which is secured an end contact eyelet 17.

The skirt member 12 is of frusto-conical shape corre sponding to the shape of the bulb portion 10 and has at its lower end an inwardly extending annular flange portion 18 terminating in a depending collar or flange portion 19.

The collar or ring member 13- is shaped to fit snugly around the flange portion 19 of skirt 12 .and against the flange 18, and has successively reduced or shouldered portions 20 and 21. The reduced portion 21 telescopes snugly into the rim of the base shell 15, and the reduced rotation between the skirt 12.and collar13. As illus-. trated herein, this is provided by keys or teeth 22 on the interior surface of the collar 13, and corresponding matched slots 23 in the flange 19 of the skirt 12.

The base is preferably assembled by first placing the skirt 12 over the end of the bulb, around the portion 10 and against the shoulder 11. Then the collar 13 is slipped onto the flange 19 against flange 18. Next, the outer end of one of the lead wires 7 is bent over the collar 13, the other lead wire 7 extending axially outward of the bulb. Finally, the base 14, containing a ring of cement 24, is threaded over the axially extending lead Wire 7 which passes through the eyelet contact 17, and the rim of the base 14 is fitted onto the reduced or shoulder portion 21 of collar 13. The cement 24 is then cured by heating, and the lead wires 7 are trimmed and soldered to the respective shell and end contacts 15 and 17.

The telescoping fit of the base parts prevent relative lateral motion therebetween. The entire assembly is firmly held in place .at one end by the cement 24 and at the other end by the shoulder 11. Relative rotation of the skirt 12 and collar 13 is prevented by the key and slot arrangement, and the cement 24 securely holds the collar 13 and base shell 15 together on the bulb neck 9.

The base assembly shown in FIG. 3 is similar to that described above. However, in this case the skirt 12 is provided with a resilient curved flange 25 which snaps over an annular bead 26 on the insulating collar 13. When desired, the bead 26 and skirt flange 25 are provided with matching keys and slots to prevent relative rotation.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In an electric lamp, the combination of a glass bulb containing a light source and having at one end thereof a generally cylindrical neck portion and an adjoining enlarged generally cylindrical portion terminating, at its junction with the main portion of the bulb, in an annular portion defining an external shoulder, and a base assembly comprising a base including a metallic shell sur rounding said bulb neck portion and adapted to engage with a socket, means fixedly securing said base shell to said bulb neck portion, an insulating collar member telescopically engaging within the rim of said base shell, and an ornamental metallic skirt member having one end telescopically engaging within said collar member and spaced and electrically insulated by said collar member from said base shell, said skirt member loosely surrounding said adjoining portion of said bulb and abutting at its other end against said shoulder, said collar and skirt members being firmly retained in place by and between said shoulder and the rim of said base shell.

2. A lamp as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means fixedly securing said base shell to said bulb neck is a quantity of cement.

3. A lamp as set forth in claim 1 including means securing said collar and shell members against relative rotational displacement.

4. In an electric lamp, the combination of a glass bulb containing a light source and having at one end Patented July 31, 1962.

thereof a generally cylindrical neck portion and an adjoining enlarged generally cylindrical portion terminating, at its junction with the main portion of the bulb, in an annular portion defining an external shoulder, and a base assembly comprising a base including a metallic shell surrounding said bulb neck portion and adapted to engage with a socket, means fixedly securing said base shell to said bulb neck portion, an insulating collar member telescopically engaging Within the rim of said base shell, and an ornamental metallic skirt member having at one end thereof a flange portion of reduced diameter telescopically engaging an inner wall portion of said collar member and spaced and electrically insulated by said collar member from said base shell, said skirt member loosely surrounding said adjoining portion of said bulb and abutting at its other end against said shoulder, said collar and skirt members being firmly retained in place by and between said shoulder and the rim of said base shell, the said inner Wall portion of said collar member having key portions on its surface, the said flange portion of the skirt having matching slots engaged by said key portions and locking said skirt and collar members against relative rotation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,079,801 Grant May 11, 1937 2,105,404 Cartun Jan. 11, 1938 2,110,136 Douglas Mar. 8, 1938 2,515,747 Vaughn July 18, 1950 2,615,073 Horberg Oct. 21, 1952 2,769,156 Caplis Oct. 30, 1956 

